


Return to Watford

by Tryangulum



Category: Carry On Series - Rainbow Rowell, Simon Snow & Related Fandoms
Genre: Alternate Universe - Non-Magical, Alternate Universe - Teachers, M/M, ocs only because i need teachers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-06
Updated: 2019-08-09
Packaged: 2020-08-10 10:33:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,787
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20134024
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tryangulum/pseuds/Tryangulum
Summary: Basically, Watford is a nonmagic normal school that Simon graduated years ago. After failing to find where he wanted his life to go he finds himself back at the gate of the school, though this time his long term roommate and enemy (almost friends that last year but that got royally fucked) is the new headmaster of the school.





	1. The Return

**Simon**

Up until a few months ago, if you had asked me where I would be as an adult I never would have guessed this. Sure, during my years at Watford I may have schemed of ways to remain there. A teacher maybe. Some kind of janitor would even work. Being the new guidance counselor hired by (Maybe hired by. I don't technically know who accepted my application) my prior roommate, enemy, and current headmaster of the school. Watford...has a long and complicated history for me. For most of my years there, I'd never want to be anywhere else. But that last year...I still prefer not to think about it but at least looking at the school now doesn't make me sick like it once did.

For now, though, I need to stop standing outside the gate like a creep and go face this weird situation. I picked my luggage up (the rest of my stuff should be coming within the next few days) and made my way inside. It'd be weird to dorm at the school again, though I was pretty sure the room arrangements would be much nicer now that I'm a teacher. I easily made my way towards the headmaster's office. I knew all of Watford like the back of my hand, well I did, but I had spent enough time in that office to know the way plenty well. The...Well, the previous headmaster was quite fond of me, to simplify things. I saw some students around campus, here early. It was about five days until school actually started.

I made his way up the stairs, stopping for a moment at the door. I wondered how the office changed. How Baz had changed the office. What a weird thought that was. Apparently, he worked his way through college, graduated a year early, worked at the school for a year then took the place from the interim headmaster. It was amazing and I had no trouble believing the guy pulled it off. How annoying. Hopefully, he hadn't worked out all the progress the prior headmaster made. Even with all his faults, he did some good things for the school I knew at least Baz's family didn't agree with.

It was time to stop hesitating and lurking creepily. I took a deep breath, knocking a few times and waiting a few long, excruciating moments before I heard a familiar voice saying 'come in.' I opened the door to find my ex-roommate behind a desk at the center of the back of the room. I'm pretty sure it's a new desk too, more modern but still plenty gothic to fit in with the rest of the room. But Baz had changed too. He looked older, obviously. I might say I did too but people always to think I'm younger than I am. Maybe it was 'boyish charm' as Agatha once said or an 'immature attitude' and Penny once called it. Either way, I was tired of being carded. Back to Baz though...His hair was a little longer now and slicked back currently. He was wearing a suit, but I'd seen him in plenty of those back when we were students. Somehow he filled them out better now. How was that possible?

I felt a familiar feeling bubble up seeing the familiar man, but I ignored it as I walked into the room. During my school years, I had just called it blind hatred. Now maybe I'm big enough to admit there was more to it. Maybe some jealousy? Or admiration? Only to myself though. I'm pretty sure I still couldn't fill out a suit that well. I set the luggage down as I tried not to stare at him, not entirely sure what to say.

Apparently, Baz had expected him to speak first, or just wanted to let me stew in the awkwardness of the moment. It probably wasn't even remotely awkward to Baz.

"You're here a bit early, Snow. For the best since we need to get you settled," He spoke smoothly, his eyes only glancing up to me as he focused primarily on the paperwork on his desk. He shifted a couple things around on his desk before setting a file definitively in front of him.

"It's weird being back," I almost mutter, primarily just trying to fill the silence with idle small talk. Baz apparently had no interest in that, opening the file and looking over a couple of things before speaking once again.

"Your office is already set up. I'll have someone show you where it is once we're done here. Dorm arrangements I left to someone else. So I wouldn't get accused of plotting," He glanced up at me, making me blush at the clear reference to our school days. I was always convinced Baz was plotting, I'm not sure I don't still believe it. Why else was I here? He seemed to be looking over the document with a sudden intensity, making me suddenly wonder if something was wrong.

"Something the matter? I don't want to be sleeping in my office or something," I try after a few moments of him clearly being unhappy with the document in front of him.

"Just a mistake. This is why I shouldn't let other people...Anyway. I'll figure it out while you're being shown your office," He flips through a couple of the other papers and I lean over the desk. I turn the paper so I can read it properly, earning both a grimace and glare from Baz. Two for one and I just got here. I didn't let it affect me as I look at the room circled. It seemed to have two rooms technically, which meant I'd be sharing. Not ideal but at least it's not sharing a room like the students. Then I recognize the name written next to the circle. The room would be shared with Baz. It didn't seem like Baz' handwriting either, which meant he really did give it to someone else to do. Or was going out of his way to make it seem like he didn't. Though this seemed to be just as bad for Baz as it was for me.

I smile, taking the paper off the desk. "The arrangement is fine," I insist, Baz looking at me with surprise and...was that contempt? Yeah, contempt. Ultimately, I don't want a mix up to lead me to staying in my office. Plus we're adults now. With separate rooms. It'd be fine. And maybe I could get a hint of the Baz I knew that last year.

"Snow-" He starts but I quickly cut him off.

"It's totally fine. Anyway. I want to see my office now," I insist, going to grab my bag and only setting the paper down when Baz seemed to be gathering up the rest of the file.

"Fine," He states, more than a hint of irritability in his tone as he added the document to the file. Then he handed it to me.

"There's more information in there. School rules so you'll know what to enforce. What's expected of you're position. Please read through it all," He spoke, picking up his phone and texting someone before pushing some of the papers back in front of him. Guess he brought phones back to the school. Probably for the best, at least for teachers. "Someone will meet you downstairs to show you to your office."

And that was apparently the end, since Baz clearly went back to his work despite my still standing there awkwardly. I waited a few moments for something else before picking up my luggage once again and leaving the office. Hopefully, I'd get to set this down soon.


	2. Settling in

**Baz**

I'm never letting anyone do anything for me ever again. I looked over a copy of the map of dorms, this one having every teachers name written over the room they were in. There were several other rooms with two bedrooms in them. About 1/4th of the current rooms for the teachers. There used to be more but one of the buildings for the teacher's dorms was converted to a students dorm. When David took over the school all those years ago he raised the number of students allowed to attend as well, which meant more rooms were needed. It was fine, since at that point since he had let teachers live in their own homes and travel to the school daily. I disallowed that unless a teacher was within 5 kilometers of the school. What's the point of a boarding school if you didn't have constant access to your teachers?

I had to downsize almost everything when I became headmaster. The interim headmaster made some changed to help the budget but David's radical view of how the school should be run left Watford drowning in debt. Idealistic but clearly not realistic if the mess I'm having to clean up says anything. Fewer students. A bit less staff. Every year he could allow a few more students in. I might have thought the poor woman I use as my assistant but really isn't did this on purpose in some way. Maybe she knew how awful they got along and decided to stick me with it once again for all the extra work. Then again she didn't seem the spiteful type and I pay her well for the extra effort. Maybe she meant well, only knowing we were roommates and thinking it'd be a fun return to childhood.

Alethea Silver. She was in charge of janitorial services on her own prior to being used as an assistant. I hired someone else to help her out when she officially accepted to be my unofficial assistant.

As I looked over the chart it became clear to me it was neither though, and I had given her one hell of a simple job. The room in my dorm was the only one available. I hadn't even realized how tight for space we were, I need to be more careful. If I had caught it sooner I would have asked if anyone wanted to move in with me so I could stick Simon anywhere else. I had grabbed one of the larger dorms the moment I became headmaster. They were technically larger, that's why they were chosen for an extra room, even if that space was now a bit more awkward with a shoved in the room.

There was no point thinking about what I would have done if I had caught onto this sooner. Now I was stuck with it. And if I felt the need to hire any more staff I might have an issue.

**Simon**

Someone did meet me downstairs, in the dining hall, though it took them a few minutes to get there. Was that on purpose? Am I automatically assuming the worst even though I just got here? I should stop that before it gets out of hand. This isn't school days. I'm more mature now. I'm above thinking my student-life long nemesis is still plotting against me in adulthood. Or maybe he was doing the exact opposite of plotting against me since he sent Ebb to grab me. I smiled wildly as she approached, quickly dropping the luggage to give her a hug. She didn't look older, maybe a little more worn. Her blonde hair was longer though, and more matted to go along with it. I'm a little surprise Baz had kept her around, though I still didn't know the extent of the changes he made.

"It's good to see you, Simon." She smiled as she returned the hug.

"How have you been? Baz hasn't tried to chase you out? Because I can go back up there," I spoke as I pulled back, joking. Mostly.

She shook her head though, glancing up to the headmaster's office she the man within it was mentioned. "Nah, Interm headmaster tried. Managed to put it off long enough for Baz to come along and he hasn't mentioned it. Did saddle me with a few more things to do," I nodded slightly as she spoke, picking up my bag once again and starting to make my way with her to where his office lay. I wasn't sure Ebb ever really made trips to the building, or where my office was unless she was specifically told for this. Made me feel special for a moment. Until I saw my office.

It was one one of the lower floors of the weeping tower and saying it was the size of two broom closets might be giving it too much credit. The old desk was pushed all the way to one side because if it sat in the middle the only way to get to the other side would be to jump over it. There was a small, high up bookshelf that went along the wall. It's a good thing I'm not sure or else I wouldn't be able to use. I still probably won't. It doesn't look exactly stable and my head will be the thing right under it.

"Wow, This place looks awful," Ebb almost laughed, stepping in the room and looking around. She almost bumped into the chair located at the front of the desk in the process. I sigh softly, nodding my head in agreement. "Yeah. Not much to take in,"

She gives me an almost pitying smile, touching the hand that held my luggage. "You'll settle in soon. Come visit me anytime," She reassured, making me smile in return. It was nice to have one escape I could still count on. With that, we said our goodbyes and she went ahead after confirming I actually knew where the teacher's dorms where. After looking around my closet with a desk for a few more minutes I made my way to the dorms. I couldn't help but wonder if any of my old teachers still worked here. And suddenly I couldn't help but hope I don't find out while walking into the teacher's dorms. Something about seeing them after all these years in a forbidden place to students, to me, might be a bit too much of a culture shock.

I walk up every single staircase in the dorm building and walk down the hall to the last room in the corner. Why wouldn't Baz pick a room on a lower floor? Probably so he could stare out at a view dramatically ever sunset. Yeah that was probably it. With a tired breath, I open the door, wondering if it was usually meant to be unlocked. Just in case, I leave it unlocked. I set my luggage next to the black couch. The entire area was decorated with a similar style to Baz's office. Maybe a bit more modern, but nothing that would clash with the victorian state of the room. It was dark though and that could get depressing fast. There was a small pseudo kitchen and living area. The small living area included priorly noted black couch, a tv mounted on the wall, and a few movie cases on a thin coffee table that just barely seemed to fit as far as size. Still, it managed to not look too crowded. The barely-a-kitchen was a microwave, sink, coffee pot, and cabinet.

There were also three doors. The first door I opened was the one on the far left. It was clearly Baz's room given it was a furnished bedroom. It also matched the rest of his chosen decor, except this room seemed to play into the victorian decor a bit more. Especially the bed. As much as it pained me to stop snooping, I decided it was for the best. Next door. The room was smaller than the prior and empty except a simple bed. Did this mean Baz brought his own bed up all those flights of stairs? Holy shit. I move my luggage into this room before opening the next door. A bathroom. Full of Baz's things. It was completely taken over. I guess he didn't technically know I was coming and it wasn't like I had much to take over room. But hold on was that makeup--

Okay. Enough snooping. I go into the room which was the only thing not overrun by baz and sit on the bed. I'm not really sure what to do next. I don't have any place to put the clothes I packed for the next few days away. Oh god, how am I going to get all that shit up here? I decided not to think about it but that just meant I needed something else to think about. Like how weird this entire situation seemed.

**Author's Note:**

> Well this is an attempt at a fic. Let's see how far it'll go. Giving kudos and leaving comments will, of course, show me people have an interest in it! Right now this is a basic concept I wanted to get down though.


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